Aerosol dispensing apparatus



Sept. 6, 1966 J. FRANGos ETAL 3,270,919

AEROSOL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 1e, 1964 United States Patent O"ice 3,27tl,919 AERS'UL DISPENSHNG APPARATUS John `Frangos, Brooklyn,NY., and Mitten Schwarz, Westport, Conn., assigner-s to Revlon, inc.,New York, NX. Filed Apr. 16, 1964, Ser. No. 360,225 1 Claim. (Cl.Z22-d2) This invention relates to dispensing uid from pressurecontainers under propelling actioin of an aerosol or other propellantwthin the container and, more particularly, to valving and dispensingapparatus whereby a metered dose of material is dispensed upon eachoperation of a self-contained valve and dosaging mechanism `for separateattachment to any of a variety of otherwise unvalved aerosol containers.

As will be understood, a wide variety of materials may be dispensed frompressurized containers under the action of gaseous or vaporiza'blepropellant therein as with the so-called aerosol types of packaging.Generally in situations of this character, the material to be dispensedis admixed with a propellant (gas or highly volatile liquid, etc.) in asealed container having a valved eduction tube therein whereby openingthe valve prevides for the propellant to force the material to bedispensed up the eduction tube and out of the container.

Among the many materials which are conventionally so packaged anddispensed may be noted certain medicaments for inhalation therapy (suchas stimulants for symptomatic emergency treatment of heart patients,vasoactive pharamaceuticals, etc.) as well as expensive and potentperfumes and similar materials where it is desired to have eachapplication or dose rather carefully limited to no more than arelatively small amount and within considerably closer tolerances thanmay be readily achieved or assured merely by the individual usersvoluntary or critical control of the dispensing mechanism itself.

If it is attempted to build into the conventional valving structure ineach such aerosol dispenser or container an arrangement for meteringeach dose to within close tolerance critical limits, some difficultiesmay be experienced from a variety of sources. For example, the verynature of emergency inhalation therapy pharmaceuticals :and expensiveperfumes may indicate the desirability of having the entire containerand valving mechanism formed as a relatively small vial with the entiremetering and dosaging mechanism and dispensing valve arrangement havinga gross outside diameter of not much more than 1/2 inch or 5%; inch, andto be capable of dispensing metered doses of no more than 35-50 mg. ofthe material within the container upon each operation of the dispenseror valve. Also, for medical reasons and/or to comply with governmentregulations, such as those of the Federal Food and Drug Administration,it may be desired to have each such tiny dosage accurately dispensed towithin 5% tolerance variations from dose to dose.

Considering such small dosages and close tolerance accuracyrequirements, especially when combined with a desire to maintain -theentire metering and dosaging apparatus and valve mechanism to relativelytiny sizes, and when the organic and/ or solvent nature of theparticular materials and propellants therefor is further considered,substantial diliiculty may be encountere-d in manufacturing such smallvalving and dosaging apparatus to such close tolerance accuracy andutilizing adequately resistant )materials for continued and repeatedaccurately reproducible dosaging performance at costs which remain, evenwith large production, within the desirably low range, especially whenthe user may exhaust each small container and Ibe forced to replace itwithin a relatively short space of time such as once a month orsomething of that order.

Furthermore, although the aerosol dispensing of such materials may behighly desirable (as compared to air Patented Sept. 6, 1966 pressureatomizers, eye droppers, etc.) ffor a variety of practical and medicaland commercial reasons, the aerosol technique may be considered ashaving certain limitations which do not permit, for example, readyrefilling of a used container (as is possible with regular atomizers orpharmacy-dispensed bottles) by anyone who does not have an adequateapparatus for doing so. Also, the utilization of aerosol-dispensedarrangement, particularly in the foregoing situations, may interject anextra and unnecessary element of cost, especially if an accuratemetering valve must be factory-incorporated into each small containerand repurchased anew by the user frequently whenever the container isexhausted.

According to this invention, however, there are provided inexpensivemetering valve arrangements as a separate unit which may tbe accuratelymanufactured to the desired tolerances and utilized with a variety ofrefill containers or vials of desira-bly small size and substantiallyless expensive construction, thereby to provide minimal expense and thedesired accurate metering valve or dosaging arrangement which may beutilized with any of a plurality of inexpensive and non-valved refillcontainers, thus to avoid the necessity of repurchasing a metering ordosaging or valving arrangement each time the container is exhaustedand/ or of using a less expensive or cheaply manufactured metering valvefor critical dosaging operations; and, as a further feature of thisinvention, there is also provided for changing the removable valvingarrangement from one container to another, even before the container isexhausted and without venting the pressurized container or admitting airinto the sterile contents thereof even during removal and/ orreplacement of the valving arrangement.

With the 'foregoing and .additional objects in mind, this invention willnow be described in more detail, and other objects and advantages hereofwill be apparent from the following description, the accompanyingdrawings, and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of an aerosol container and dosaging andmetering valving apparatus embodying and for practicing this invention;

FlG. 2 is a view on a somewhat larger scale and in axial section of theseparable metering and dosaging valve arrangement of FIG. 1 and themating portion of the container thereof shown as separate and prior toengagenient;

FIG. 3 is a View similar to FIG. 2 but showing the dosaging and meteringarrangement engaged with the replaceable pressurized container and withthe valve shown in the position of dispensing a metered dose; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail of a modification for the metering end ofthe valve mechanism of FIGS. 2 and 3 especially adapted for use withmaterials having a tendency to cause swelling and distortion of rubberand/ or plastic washers.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters refer tolike parts throughout the several views thereof, apparatus embodying andfor practicing this invention is illustrated as comprising a container10 (which may be of glass, plastic, metal, etc., in known manner) havinga top closure 11 culminating in a threaded neck portion 12 (FIG. 2)encasing an interior portion 13 from which depends an eduction tube 14leading to adjacent the bottom of the container and up which eductiontube liquid or fluid materials to be dispensed are forced by thepressure of the propellant within the container. The top surface l5 ofthreaded neck portion 12 is formed of relatively soft `and thinpiercible metal or plastic, and overlies in protective manner aself-sealing soft rubber seal 16 adapted in conjunction with neckportion 12 and top surface 15 to maintain pressurized conditions withinthe container, yet to be readily pierced by a sharp instrument and withsoft seal 16 being adapted, in known manner, to maintain a seal aroundany instrument piercing therethrough into container and to beself-closing upon the withdrawal of any such piercing means.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, container 10 yand closure 11 andthe aforementioned sealing means are provided separately and without anyvalving means whatsoever for dispensing fluid from container 10, thusreadily providing for packaging and selling the container 10 and fluidmaterial therein in surgically sterile condition if desired and/orotherwise completely enclosed and isolated from air as may be importantwith the sale of pharmaceutical products. A separate and detachable andreusable metering valve and dosaging arrangement is indicated generallyat as including a hollow valve body 21 having at the bottom thereof aninternally threaded skirt portion 22 for threaded engagement over andaround threaded neck 12 on container 10.

Valve 20 also includes a valve stem 23 reciprocable in valve body 21 andpreferably carrying at the top thereof a control button or cap 24 havingtherein a dispensing orifice 25. Valve stem 23 communicates between theinside and outside valve body 21 through a seal 30, and includes ashoulder portion 31 against which acts a spring 32 tending to urge valvestem 23 into upward or closed position as shown in FIG. 2. Also forminga part of valve stem 23 is a metering valve member 35 having a reduceddiameter or off-set portion 36 at the bottom thereof. At the lowerportion of hollow valve body 21 is a lower seal 37 through which passesmetering valve portions 35 and 36 with the related configurationindicated generally by comparison of FIGS. 2 and 3 whereby, when thevalve stem 23 is in the upper position shown in FIG. 2, reduced diameterportion 36 is adjacent seal 37 and extending through a passage throughthe seal adjacent to reduced diameter portion, while, in the lowerposition of the assembly as in FIG. 3, metering valve portion 35completely closes the opening through seal 37 against the passage ofmaterial therethrough.

Also at the bottom of valve body 21 is a sharp or pointed piercing inletnipple 40, substantially entirely within threaded skirt 22, and arrangedso that the lower piercing end of nipple 40 will pierce surface 15 andseal 16 in the closure of container 10 upon threading skirt 22 ofmetering valve 20 onto and around threaded neck 12 to provide thearrangement of these particular parts noted in FIG. 3 and also toprovide communication with inlet nipple 40 and eduction tube 14 withincontainer 10.

An outlet port 41 is provided in valve stem 23 and communicating throughthe side thereof into an axial passage therethrough. In the normal orofi` position of the valve arrangement indicated in FIG. 2, outlet portor opening 41 is above seal 30 and out of communication with theinterior of hollow valve body 21. In the lower dispensing position ofthe arrangement indicated in FIG. 3, however, depressing valve stein 23against the action of spring 32 has moved outlet port 41 to below seal30 and into a position of ow communication between the inside of hollowvalve body 21 and the axial passage in valve stem 23 for the passage andejection of materials from valve body 21 up hollow stem 23 and outdispensing nozzle orifice in cap 24. As will also be apparent from theforegoing, the coordination of diinensioning and relationships of theparts is arranged, in well understood manner, so that the metering valveportion will close and seal with lower seal 37 when valve stem 23 isdepressed suiciently for outlet port 41 therein to be moved below or outof sealing engagement with upper seal 30, whereas any time outlet port41 is raised sufficiently to be in sealing engagement with or aboveupper seal 30, only reduced diameter portion 36 of the metering valvestem is adjacent lower seal 37 to permit passage of material fromeduction tube 14 up past seal 37 into hollow valve body 21.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, threading metering valveassembly 20 onto threaded neck 12 of container 10 causes piercing inletnipple 40 to pierce rubber seal 16 and provide flow communicationbetween inside of container 10, through eduction tube 14 therein, andthe interior hollow valve body 21 so that material within the containermay be forced upwardly by propellant therein to fill hollow valve body21 because of reduced diameter portion 36 being out of sealingengagement with lower seal 37.

So long as valve stem 23 is in the upper or `closed position of FIG. 2,there is no escape of material from valve body 21. When cap 24 and valvestem 23 are depressed, however, into the position of FIG. 3, outlet port41 is moved below upper seal 30 and permits flow of any material withinvalve body 21 outwardly through stem 23 and dispensing orice 25 underthe action of propellant therein. In such depressed position, meteringvalve 35 is in sealing engagement with lower seal 37, then preventingfurther ow of material from eduction tube 14 into main valve body 21, sothe only material which can be dispensed up hollow stem 23 is thatquantity which was previously contained within valve body 21. Uponrelease of stem 23 and upward movement thereof under the action ofspring 32, of course, reduced diameter portion 36 then is moved adjacentlower seal 37 and an additional quantity of material fills valve body21, awaiting a subsequent dispensing upon depressing valve stem 23. Inthis manner, and depending upon the volumetric capacity of valve body21, an accurately controlled and readily reproducible metered dosage ofmaterial is dispensed through dispensing orifice 25 each time valve stem23 is depressed, and with the quantity of such dosage being accuratelycontrolled merely through the selection and design of the particularsize or internal effective storing capacity of valve body 21.

With certain materials and/or solvents thereof to be dispensed fromcontainer 10, however, there may be some constituents present which havea swelling or other disruptive action on a material such as rubber orsynthetic elastomers which might be utilized for lower seal 37 and withthe result that the central opening therein may tend to swellsufiiciently to inhibit or interrupt passage of material therethrougheven when it is only reduced to diameter portion 36 which is adjacentlower seal 37. In such situations, it may be preferred to utilize,instead of merely a reduced diameter portion on mixing metering valvestem 35, an arrangement somewhat as diagrammed in FIG. 4.

In this arrangement, the lower portion of metering valve stem 35,instead of carrying a reduced diameter portion 36, is formed of.substantially the same outside diameter throughout its whole length, butincludes an axial passage 45 therein and inlet port 46. In the raisedposition of the needling valve arrangement shown in FIG. 4 (i.e., withmain valve raised as in FIG. 2), material from Within container 1t)flows up eduction tube 14 and piercing inlet nipple 40 and throughpassage 45 in the valve stem to emerge therefrom through port 46 intothe inside of valve body 21. When the metering valve is to be closed (asin the dispensing position of the arrangement indicated in FIG. 3),depressing main valve 23 and metering valve stem 35 aixed thereto movesport 46 to a position in vsealing engagement with or below lower seal 37so as to prevent further fiow of material from the container 10 intovalve body 21. Since the diameter of the entire metering valve stem inthis embodiment is substantially the same, any swelling effects whichmay occur on lower seal 37 'are prevented from interfering with the freeand rapid flow of material from the container to the measured capacityinterior of valve body 21.

Accordingly, there are provided in accordance herewith arrangements ofapparatus whereby precisely manufactured and accurate metering anddosaging valve means are available as a small and reusable separate anddet-achable unit for use with virtually any number of diierent sealedpressurized containers 10, and with the enhanced consideration that,since none of the sealed units is valved in any manner, each of them isnot only less expensive than if it had valving means incorporatedtherein, but also more easily manufactured and more readily susceptibleto specialized handling considerations and techniques as may be desiredwith medicaments or pharmaceuticals, and as are conventional with themanufacture and sale of certain pharmaceuticals in rubber-sealed vialsfor use with hypodermic syringes, and the like. Thus, both thecontainers and the reusable dosaging valve mechanisms may be madevirtually as small as desired (the diameter of the entire valvingarrangement being only a fraction of an inch, even for accommodatingdosages of around 35-50 mg. of material) and the vials themselves may bemade as small as desired without the added cost of having a valving andmetering arrangement incorporated in each vial without the possibilityof any reuse thereof. Similarly, as noted above, since the user needobtain but one dosaging device 20, regardless of how many vials 10 hemay require over a period of time, a precisely and close tolerancemanufactured dosaging device is permissible without the need for suchstringent economies (perhaps productive of manufacturing in accuracies)as would be the case if a new metering device had to be purchased eachtime the contents of a vial or container 10 were exhausted or had to bereplaced. Furthermore, since the vial seal 16 is of the knownself-sealing rubber type conventionally used for pharmaceutical vialsand since piercing inlet 40 need not be much larger than a largehypodermic needle, the disclosed arrangement permits switching thedosaging device 20 from one vial to another even before th`e contents ofeither are exhausted and without admitting air into vials or otherwisedisturbing what may be the sterile contents thereof.

While the forms of apparatus herein described are preferred embodimentsof this invention, this invention is not limited to these precise formsof apparatus and changes may be made therein without departing from thescope of this invention which is defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In metering valve apparatus of the character described for repeatedapplication as a dispenser of a measured quantity of materials includinga gaseous propellant from any one of a number of sealed containershaving a threaded neck with a pierceable seal thereon, the combinationwhich comprises a hollow axially extending valve body having top andbottom walls defining therebetween a volume measuring chamber thecapaci-ty of which determines said measured quantity of materials to bedispensed, a valve stem axially reciprocable in said valve body andextending axially through both said top and bottom walls, first sealingmeans disposed adjacent said top wall of said valve body and surroundingsaid valve stern in sealing engagement therewith, second sealing means-adjacent said bottom wall of said valve body and surrounding said valvestem in sealing engagement therewith, means at the upper end of saidvalve stem and above said top Wall of said valve body forming anejection orifice, a radial port in said stem axially spaced below saidejection orilice, `an axially extending internal passage in said valvestem interconnecting said radial port with said ejection oriiiceproviding flow. communication from said volume measuring chamber andsaid orifice through said port and axial `passage when said valve stemis moved to a position where said port is below said irst sealing meansand within said volume measuring charnber, a reduced diameter portion atthe lower end of said valve stem and extending through said secondsealing means providing ow communication into said volume measuringchamber when said valve stem is in a position such that said reduceddiameter portion is adjacent said second sealing means but preventingsaid ow into said chamber when said reduced diameter portion is whollybelow said second sealing means, the axial spacing relationships of saidradial port and said reduced diameter portion of said valve stem beingcorrelated with the axial extent of said volume measuring chamberbetween said first and second sealing means such that said radial por-tis above said rst sealing means w-henever said reduced diameter portionpermits flow throughV said second sealing means into said chamber andsaid reduced diameter portion is below said second sealing meanspreventing ilow into said -chamber whenever said radial port is belowsaid first sealing means permitting flow through said axial passage fromsaid chamber, biasing means effective on said valve stem and within saidchamber for urging said valve upwardly toward the position where saidradial port is above said first sealing means, an abutment on said valvestem for engaging said top wall of said valve body for limiting saidupward movement of said stem, a threaded skirt depending from said valvebody for engaging said neck portion on said se-aled containers, agenerally cylindrical and pointed hollow nipple depending from saidvalve body and coaxially within said skirt and in flow communicationwith said chamber for piercing the sealed top of said containers as saidskirt is threaded `down on to said neck portion thereof, said hollownipple being disposed to receive slidably said reduced diameter por-tionof said valve Stem when said valve stem is depressed against the actionof said 'biasing means and the hollow internal diameter of said nipplebeing llarger than said reduced diameter portion of said valve stempermitting -ow of material through said hollow nipple into said chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,554,352 5/195'1Ward et al. 2,802,696 8/ 1957 Galehazzi i-- 222-82 2,873,886 2/1959Miskel et al. 222-91 2,968,427 1/ 1961 Meshberg.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, `LOUIS J. DEMBO, Examiners.

W. SOBIN, Assistant Examiner.

